Sword Art Online: Refresh
by Jack Motley
Summary: A VERY alternate version.
1. 01

_Link start._

The Nervegear on my head whirrs for a moment, then I go full dive. Down and through, like going through a wormhole, and I'm in again. _Sword Art Online_. Aincrad. One-hundred levels of swordplay, monsters and treasure, and maybe even some cute girls, too.

My name in this world is Kirito. I'm a beta tester, so I've been around this world's block a few times. Today, though, is Launch Day for the public server, which means lots of new players to get lost in and fight with against the denizens of the floating world above the starter city.

I'm used to playing this game alone, though. There weren't that many beta players compared to the sheer size of Aincrad, so I've become used to flying solo. Every now and then, I'd team up, but only out of necessity.

Now? There's easily a few thousand players logged into the game, and a good portion of them are in the starter city, milling about, looking as lost as I remember myself feeling the first time I entered SAO.

It's too crowded for me, so I head out at a run, since fatigue isn't a thing. Some people are actually _walking_ around, like they're roleplaying their characters, and that's fine. If that's how they want to play SAO, then what do I care? I just want to get some practice swings on the monsters outside the starter city. Loosen up the sword.

I head down a red-bricked alley, turn right, and make a break for sunlight. When I reach it, I stop in awe at the sight of stalagmite-strewn plains stretching out over a deep expanse of more plains and cliffs—wouldn't want to fall here.

 _Kirito_ , I chide myself, _stop acting like a newb and get out there. You've seen this all before in beta._

I shake my head and smile to myself with no around to see, dashing off to find a monster.

 **01**

It doesn't take me long to find a warthog rooting around the stalagmite. Level 1. Easy mode.

I launch into an overhead swing.

 _Cling!_

My sword bounces off metal instead of beast, and I jump back a few steps to check out what just happened.

It seems I'm not alone out here. A swordsman in red robes with short brown hair is standing between me and the warthog. "That was _my_ kill!" he says. "I saw it first!"

"Well, _excuse_ me _,"_ I reply. "You've gotta tag it to get kill credit."

"What?"

"Kill credit. Tagging. You must be new?"

A moment's hesitation, then a quick nod.

"Ah, okay," I say. "Look. This warthog—"

"Boar," he says, still standing between me and the beast.

"Beast, or whatever. Look, again, in this game you gotta injure—damage—a monster to claim kill credit. First come, first serve."

"Oh?" he says. "Well, I was there first, so let me tag it."

"Careful," I say.

"What?"

"Once you attack it, it'll become aggressive and attack you."

He looks between me and the warthog/boar/beast/whatever. "Will it hurt?" he asks.

"No, no way," I reply. "You can't feel pain in this game. You'll just lose some HP, that's all."

"What's 'HP'?"

"Wowww…"

"What?"

"You say that a lot."

"What?"

"What?"

"If you say 'chicken-butt', I will cut you," he says with his sword pointed at me. He opted for a rapier at start? That's a _girl's_ weapon!

I raise my hands in surrender. "I had no intention, seriously. Never crossed my mind."

"Good," he says, and lowers his weapon. "I'm going to kill this boar-thing now." He points his sword at the _warthog_ for crying out loud. "Oh."

"Well, at least you didn't say 'what'," I say.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing!"

"Okay." He waves his sword at the _warthog_ (cough cough). "What was HP, again?"

"Oh, for crying out—" I say. "Okay, look, it means 'health points.' Since we're all level 1s (unless you've done some mad power leveling in the past hour the game's been online), you should have 86 HP maximum."

"Uh-huh."

I scratch idly at my cheek. "Well, if the _warthog_ —"

"Boar."

"Whatever!"

Sheesh.

"If it hits you," I continue, "you'll probably lose 5 or 6 HP. That's every time it hits, okay?"

"Okay," he says.

"Good. Now, this _monster_ has HP, too. Probably about 40 or so. Easy kill. Just hit him about 4 times, okay?"

He looks at me from under his hood. Brown eyes. "You know a lot about this game?" he asks.

"'Course!" I reply. "I get into the beta."

"Oh, okay." He points his rapier at the monster. We'll just call it that for now. "Uh?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you get credit if you help me kill it?" he asks. "I'm not 100% on my sword skills. This is my first monster."

"Your very first monster!" I say. "Aww, isn't that the sweetest thing. It's like losing your—"

His bladetip is pointing at me.

"Nothing!" I say. "Nothing at all." I draw my own blade. Level 1. Nothing special. Long sword, best sword, I say. "You strike first."

"Okay, here I go!" He stabs the monster that had been sitting there idly, chewing on grass, before the pointy end went in. Then it got aggressive.

"Hey," I tell him. "Good strike!"

"Yeah? Oof!" He goes stumbling back, hit in the thighs by the monster. "Ow!" He jumps back, then starts backpedaling some more, opening the distance. "Oh my God!" he says. "It's really attacking back!"

I can't help it. "Well, duh…"

The monster was chasing him around and around, neither gaining nor giving ground. "Oh God, what if it kills me?"

"Relax," I yell at him. "You'll just respawn back in town. I mean, it's just a _level 1 freakin' monster_! It can't really hurt you."

"Stab it stab it stab it!'

I apply my palm to my face. "Oh. Boy." Around and around… "Look," I yell at him, "you can't progress in this game without killing stuff, so kill it! You stabbed it good the first time! Stab it some more!" I emphasize the stabbing with a stabbing motion off my own. "You. Can't. Feel. Pain!"

He stops and turns around. "Really?" he asks.

"That was just a trick of your mind," I tell him. "Now stab that boar! Stab stab stab! It has like 3 hits left in it."

"Okay." He stands in front of the monster's charge, and stabs! Woo! "Ow!" The monster hits him in the thighs, again.

"Oh for crying out loud…" I cup my hands around my mouth to yell some more. "Dodge next time! And use a Special Skill with your weapon!"

He's running again. "How do I do that?"

"What? Dodge?"

"No, idiot! I know how to dodge—

"Clearly…"

"—what 'Special Skill'?"

I imitate with my own sword arm. "Just cock it back, then wait a moment for the server to register your intent, and fire it off! You get, like, double damage on your basic attack this way."

He's still going around and around with the monster. "'Just cock it back…'" he says to himself. "And—"

"Wait for it...and strike! You'll know!"

He spins back around to face the monster one more time. I wonder if the monsters get tired, instead of the players. All this running around with each other.

The monster is coming in low.

"Dodge!" I yell.

He jumps to the right, letting the monster fly past him on his left. The wind blown from its passage flutters the swordman's cloak. The monster goes about a dozen more feet, then snorts and turns around.

"Now!" I say. "While it's stopped!"

He hesitates. "Do I call my attack or something. Like 'Super Strike Attack Go'?"

Oh boy.

"Wha? No! Just cock back—"

He's already in action, sprinting across the distance, parting the grass with the wind off of his motion. He brings his rapier back, then waits, like I told him to. After a moment, there's a winding-up sound and his blade glows white.

"Now! Stab 'em!"

He pushes his blade forward, tip first, kinetic energy glistening off the edge, and scores a hit right between the monster's eyes!

"Bingo!"

The swordsman lingers a few moments, blade buried deep in the monster's head. Then the monster turns multicolored, glows brightly, becomes an outline of itself, and shatters like glass to dissolve back into the playing field.

"Hah!" he says. "Got 'em!"

"All right!" I cheer at him, genuinely clapping my hands. "One down, thousands more like that one to kill."

"Seriously?" he asks, resheathing his sword. "I have to do _that_ every _time_?"

"Eh," I shrug. "It'll come naturally later, with practice." I hold out my hand. "What's your name, anyway?" He logged on anonymously: no name shown on my visual. Well, that's not _that_ strange, I guess.

He just shrugs, shaking out his robe. "Just call me 'Rapier' for now," he says with a smile.

"Laaame," I say.

He glares at me. "Do you wanna get cut, too?"

"Hah!" I tell him, "You can't PVP without a duel request, so do your worst."

"What's 'PVP'?" he asks.

"Oh boy, you really are new to this whole gaming experience, aren't you?"

"Would you just shut up and tell me, Mr. Beta?"

"Well, you see—"

That's when we were cut off by a server-wide announcement: Town hall meeting in the starter city in 30 seconds. We were all to be— Wait.

"It's going to teleport us all there?" I say to myself.

"What's that mean?" the swordsman asks.

"Well, they only do mass teleports for special circumstances, like world events! Yes!"

The swordsman sighs. "I don't have time for that," he says. "My family is probably waiting on me in the real world, so I'm just going to log out, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, fine," I reply. "Grats on your first kill."

"Thanks," he says with a small smile, then opens his HUD menu with his fingers, and presses [Logout].

"Error?" he asks, looking at me.

"What do you mean?" I open my own menu and go through to [Logout], only to have the same error pop up on my screen.

"What in the—" I begin to say, but then the mass teleport hits, and we're all back in starter city's town square with ominous red skies above...


	2. 02

**02**

The central fountain area of the starter area is packed with people, probably thousands—hell, the entire server population probably—when we arrive. There's a lot of talking going on amongst players, all wearing the same starter gear and their own choice of weapon.

"Is it a special event?"

"Will it have sweet rewards?"

"I was just about to go out adventuring, too."

Rapier teleports in beside me. "Hey," he blurts out, "can anyone else not logout?"

"Huh?"

"You can't logout, either?"

"What's going on?"

"Relax," I tell Rapier, "I'm sure the GM's will sort it out. I mean, it _is_ Launch Day. Bugs are only natural."

"Yeah," Rapier says, "but I really can't stay here any longer." He makes an effort of pushing up around his ears. "Darnit!" He tries again with the lifting motion. "I can't get my Nervegear off."

"It's because your body is paralyzed while your consciousness is in the game."

The ominous red skies above us suddenly turn into hexes with 'GM Message Incoming' written over each hex, unfolding in a rolling pattern from the very top of the sky to the ground in a hemisphere around us.

"Finally," says someone.

"Yeah, maybe we'll get an answer."

The alert message 'GM Message incoming' at the very top point of the sky begins to shrink into itself, swirling, coalescing, until it is a mess of red and black that quickly drips down like a single drop of blood. No, it _is_ a single drop of blood, just hanging up there...until the drop falls, streaming red beneath it, to everyone's shock, and even a few girlish screams.

The drop stops falling, and the red behind it expands, taking form and shape, until the black that was the letters gives it definition, creating a faceless man in red robes highlighted with two black stripes up the sides.

"A GM!" someone cries.

The crowd cheers for the GM's entrance, then goes nuts with questions, which the robed avatar listens to for a few seconds before holding out a handless sleeve for silence. "I am the creator of this world," it says, "Kayaba Akihiko."

I gasp, which gets Rapier's attention. "Do you know him?" he asks.

I whisper to Rapier, "He made the Nervegear that lets you play this game."

"Oh."

The hooded figure continues, "You may have noticed you cannot log out. This is not a bug."

Shocked murmuring, and even one person starts crying for some reason.

"You are now all players in my death game. My _Sword Art Online_. There will be no logging out until you've defeated the 100th floor of Aincrad."

"What?"

"Are you serious!"

People en masse try logging out through their pop-up HUDs, but everyone gets the same red [Error].

"Hey, what's the idea here?"

"Let us leave, please!"

"NO!" says the GM. It continues in its calm voice, "If you remove your Nervegear, radiation waves from the active gear will destroy your brain."

Gasps.

"If you die in this game," the avatar continues, "you die in real-life, as well. The Nervegear will see to it."

"He's mad!"

"This _can't_ be happening!"

"He's lying! You're lying!"

"I am not lying, nor am I mad," says the GM, Kayaba. "I am now God of this world, and I will see you fight for your lives to escape the playground I so diligently created."

I speak up. "What? Why?"

"This life outside of Aincrad has grown soft and safe. There is no more need to fight, grow, evolve against the terrors of war and death." The GM's avatar holds it armless sleeves out to its side. "I will see your passions, now. I will see your fear and courage. I will see you band together and fall apart. And, lastly, I will see a Grand Triumph."

"You can't expect us to believe this," someone says. "Let us out!"

"Oh?" says the avatar. "Open your inventory and find the mirror I have placed inside." Thousands of players do so. I can feel Rapier beside me shudder. "Now look within, and tell me I have no power over this world."

I find my mirror and look inside...and see me. Not me the avatar I've chosen, but me, Kirigaya Kazuto, my face, my eyes, my hair, my everything, staring back at me. And in that instant white light illuminates everyone for a second, and then…

"What? You're not a _girl_?"

"Hey, I'm me! In-game!"

Still looking at myself in the mirror, I feel my hair. It's the same cut as I have in the real world, and it moves with my hand as it does in the mirror.

 _My God, I've become the real me, in here! Not my avatar at all anymore…_

"Now do you see?" says the GM avatar. "I am truly God here."

"Now," Kayaba says, "let the glorious struggle of life and death begin!"

And with that, the GM disappears, and the blue skies and white clouds over the starter city return as the blood-red hexes disappear into nothingness.

Stunned silence…

I look over at Rapier...who is now a teenaged girl.

"Hey…" I point at her (?), "You're not…"

"I know, okay," she says, and flips her hood up to cover her face. Not before I catch auburn eyes that match her long hair, though.

"I mean, that's cool and all," I tell her. "Lots of guys play as girls, but I've never met-"

"A girl playing a guy?" she says. "I didn't want all the attention." She looks around. "Shh!"

That 'shh!' seems to have set the crowd off, who now start screaming and crying about wanting to be let out, how it isn't fair, they're all going to die.

"Crap," I say. "Rapier, or whatever your name is, we got to get out of this town."

"What? Why?" she asks. "Didn't you hear the GM? If we die here, we die for real."

"This place will be packed with people too scared to move, Rapier. This gives us-with me as a beta player-an advantage. We can farm the easy monsters from here to the next town, then get ourselves set up with some power leveling off the easy stuff, before it's all farmed out."

Rapier looks incredulous. "Are you seriously suggesting we risk our _lives_ now?" she asks. "What if someone manages to rescue us from the game soon? Disables this madman's game and gets us out of here? What good does it do us if we're dead?"

People are outright weeping around us. It's a dreary mess.

"C'mon," I tell Rapier. "Let's talk somewhere else. We're upsetting everyone else."

Rapier hesitates a moment. "Okay, fine."

I lead down an alleyway, taking some twists and turns, and stop before reaching the outside, where all the monsters will be. It's a beautiful day beyond the starter city: all greens, blues and whites. It looks nothing like a death game.

"Right," I say to Rapier as I turn around, "We take the path a few blocks down, which leads to a road to the second town, Tolbana. It's about 30 minutes away, through some tough terrain, but we can handle it."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Rapier asks. "I haven't agreed to going along yet."

"'Yet'," I say. "Which means you're thinking about it?"

She hesitates a moment. "Okay, fine, I'm thinking about it," she admits. "If there's really no escape from this game then up the 100 levels, and no one is going to rescue us, then at least we have to look out for ourselves, right?"

"Right," I say with a nod.

"That means, what do you call it?"

"Leveling-up, getting money and gear."

"Right," she says. "And you know how to do all that?" I nod again. "Then I'm sticking with you," she say, trying one a faint smile.

"All right, that's the spirit!" I say. I hold out my hand. "My name's Kirito."

She looks at my hand for a moment, as if it might be a snake, but she takes it for a brief second. Long enough to say, "Asuna."

"Hey, Asuna," I say, and, "Let's go."

Weapons drawn, we set outside, to find the path, me on point, which will take us to Tolbana.


	3. 03

**03**

We're not so much leading a pack of adventurers going forward, as we are the first and (so far) only ones to dare step foot out of the starter city, when a wolf comes bounding down the road toward us.

"Kirito!" Asuna yells.

"I see it!" I reply. "Level 2, I think. Put it between us. Dodge, then come around!"

It's only a matter of who it'll choose to attack that matters next.

It chooses me, fortunately. Which somehow simultaneously relieves and terrifies me. Relief that it didn't go after the newbie, Asuna, and terror that this is no longer a game. This is for keeps.

I jump to my left and forward just a little, taking a slash that connects with the wolf's side as it passes, barely missing me with its claw. The wolf's wound is a shallow scar that exposes its wireframe internals and bleeds little floating drops of red, simulating spurting blood.

The wolf turns back, and so do I. But Asuna is charging it now, calling, "I got it!"

"No!" I yell. "It's still strong. Wait for—"

The wolf leaps at Asuna, claws out, fangs bare, and I'm afraid for her. She goes into a foot-first baseball slide, left hand extended to steady her blade, going under the monster, and slices the rapier's tip down the wolf's stomach from neck to back legs.

The wolf doesn't howl in pain; apparently it doesn't feel pain, either, but being down to half-health _does_ trigger it to enrage, turning the beast's entire body a dark red. It turns back on Asuna; its two wounds still gaping.

"No, you don't!" I say, bringing my sword back, which glows white at just the right time as it's cocked over my shoulder. I bring the blade down on the back of the wolf's neck, the blade's passing leaving an arcing afterimage, and slice right through the monster's neck, to the ground.

The wolf, beheaded, loses all of its HP instantly, turns luminous white, then shatters like glass. Dead. Two down for us—counting the warthog from earlier.

"Whew..." Asuna says. "That was...something."

"Thrilling?" I ask her, sheathing my sword. "I know, right?"

Asuna seems out of breath from the battle, breathing heavily, but I know that's impossible. We can't feel fatigue in this game.

"Ah, Asuna…"

"What?"

"You're not tired," I tell her. "You just think you are. It's a trick of the mind, again. Like pain."

"Oh?" Asuna's auburn eyes widen for just a moment, probably embarrassed. "Oh, you're right." She laughs this little self-conscious laugh, and smiles. I like it. I remember wanting to meet cute girls, and here one was. An actual, real, live, gaming girl. What are the odds?

"That was a neat trick on that wolf, Asuna."

"Thanks," she replies, regaining her composure. "I didn't really have that planned, though."

"Oh?"

She shakes her head, releasing her brown hair to flow back and forth. "No. I was going to stab it, but then it jumped, and I just did...I guess...what came first in my mind."

"You don't sword fight in real life, do you? Kendo?"

She chuckles. "No, not at all." Asuna whips her rapier around in a cavalier motion, then carefully sheathes it. "It's a nice weapon, though. Light. Sharp."

"It suits you," I tell her.

"Thank you, again," she says. "I've been thanking you way too much, lately. I need to start pulling my weight more, keep up with you, Mr. Beta."

"Aww, you're fine, for a newb. Also," I smile as I say this, "You shouldn't say 'what' so much. It's getting to become your thing."

"Wha-" she begins to say, then cuts herself off, laughing. "I almost did!" Her rapier is out in an instant and pointing at me. She's super-serious now. " _You_ , however, don't get to laugh." She waits a moment as I look at her sword's tip with a little shock and an open mouth. But she laughs again. "I'm just messing with you. Relax." She sheathes her sword again. "We should keep moving," she says somberly. "If that wolf could find us, then what happens if it gets dark?"

"They become more aggressive, I remember," I tell her. "But you're right. We're not even a hundred meters into this expedition, so let's keep going."

The supposed 30-minute jog turns into a bloody slog, what with having to fight more monsters on the way.

I'm impressed at how fast Asuna is learning, as she becomes more proficient with her weapon and using the Special Skills that come with it. In fact, during a battle with—okay, I'll just call this one a boar—she manages a fast three-hit strike that finishes off the monster. We're even getting some coins out of it, which makes us both a little happy. 30 whole cor for a boar! The currency of the game.

On the outside edge of Tolbana, I realize something, "You know, Asuna, if I remember right, the price of a room is something like 80 cor."

Asuna looks back at me. "We have that, don't we?"

"Uh, that and a little more, I think," I say, "but we'd have to share it."

"With you?" she asks, incredulous. "I think we should farm a little more, then."

"What? Why? It's just a room, Asuna."

" _Shared_ ," she says back. "If you don't want to go farm some more, then fine. I'll go without you. I think I can handle myself pretty well."

"No no, let's not." I sigh. "Okay, I'll go farm for my own room, you go get a room, with a lock, just in case of PVPers."

"And why should I be worried about PVPers? Didn't you say earlier I'd need a duel request to cut you?"

"Aw, yeah, you see…"

She leans in. "See what?"

"I was kind of lying about that, and I'm glad I did."

"What!" She glares at me. "Why, Mr. Beta?"

"Because," I say quickly, "if you'd attacked me back then, outside of a safe haven, you'd been flagged as a criminal."

She blinks once, twice. "You weren't afraid I was going to kill you, back then, were you?" she finally asks.

"What? No. Pfaw. You?"

Out comes the rapier. "And just who do you think you are, Mr. Beta? Some big badass because you got to play before others?"

"What? No."

"Now look who's saying it," she says with a slight smirk.

"What?"

"Chicken butt."

"Ahh!" I rub my hand through my hair. "Dammit, be serious!"

"I am serious!" She waves the point of the rapier at me. "You lied to me."

"For your own good!"

"Hah!" She sheathes her rapier. "You know what? I _am_ going to get that room, and _you're_ going to have to find your own way. Good-bye!"

"Hey, wait!"

"At least you didn't say 'what', this time, liar."

She disappears into the shadows of the town's buildings, leaving my short cor for a room, and with a sigh.

"Jeez…" I say, and turn back into the wild. "It's not like I can die or anything," I say to myself, and head back out to farm.


	4. 04

**04**

A month has passed, and so has over 2,000 players, dead from fear, or inability to wield a weapon, or both. Many more still haven't left the starting city, and many of the dead died on the road to here, Tolbana, where everything and everyone seems to have stalled, including myself and what little I've seen of Asuna since our departure that first night. Many more have died in the first level dungeon, trying and failing to find the boss. And we're still stuck on floor 1. After. One. Month.

2,000 dead…

I've kept myself busy power leveling around Tolbana, trying not to think about our problem, using the town as my base, collecting money that drops from enemies, and getting whatever gear I can find off monsters or bought in the town's abysmal market.

I've hidden my level to hide the fact that I'm a beta tester, since most everyone walking around is level 1 or 2, and I'm a grand level 6—as far as I can make it off the experience points available on the level 1 through 3 monsters on this first floor. They'd instantly know I've been holding back my hand as a more experienced player when everyone around me is dying, but there's only so much I can do.

I try, and I try, but I just can't keep them alive without their help. I help the ones I can, but every time I turn around to help someone else, the ones I just helped can't fend for themselves and die. It's a horrific cycle, again and again, day in and day out. I keep trying, but there's only so much one person can do.

If only Asuna was here…

Why did I think that? I don't know.

There is one bright light on the horizon, though: all the surviving players of Tolbana are being tracked down and called to a meeting. Apparently, someone found the first boss's liar…

"Alright, listen up!" says the man in the middle of the amphitheater. "My friends and I have been keeping ourselves busy while the rest of you have been moping, here, in town."

I look around the amphitheater, at everyone else sitting on the Greek-style stone steps that serve as seating in a three-quarters moon around the middle area where the man is speaking. Behind him is the entrance to this floor's dungeon.

"I'm Diavel, a level 6 beta tester!" the speaker says with a bright smile. "I've been through this game before, and we—my friends and I—have explored through the dungeon behind me, as some others have (we mourn their passing). And guess what?" He raises a hand and points at everyone. "We've found the boss's lair—Illfang the Kobold King!"

Even though everyone in attendance already knew this, they still murmured amongst themselves. 'The Kobold King!' they whisper. I fought the Kobold King when it was still in beta, and I'm thinking about joining Diavel, when I notice a familiar red cloak out the corner of my eye.

I scoot over as quick and as stealthily as I can, so not to interrupt the proceeding. "Asuna?" I ask.

"Mr. Beta," she replies.

My heart warms at the sound of her voice. She's the only one I know in-game, and I haven't seen her in what feels like ages, but here she is, listening to the same song and dance as I am.

A cautious moment passes between us, because I can't for the life of me think of what to say.

"You're helping?" Asuna asks.

"Are you?" I manage.

She turns her head and those auburn eyes at me. "Of course!" she says. "This may be our best chance to finally get off this floor." She levels a stare at me. "Besides—"

"You've been power leveling, haven't you?" She nods. "Level 5 or 6?" I ask.

"6, the maximum," she replies. "Same as you, I imagine." This time I nod. "Good," she says. "I figure the boss must be level 5 or higher. What do you think, Mr. Beta?"

"5, but a boss level 5," I tell her. "He'll be at least as strong as 4 or 5 level 5's."

"Jesus," Asuna whispers, then looks over those assembled.

"Hey, we have 3 level 6's, don't we?"

"Yeah, but what about the others? Level 1 and 2?"

"You catch on quick."

"I always have, but this is survival. Those who didn't learn quickly are already dead, aren't they?"

I nod grimly. "Unfortunately."

"Look at it this way," she says, "those that have made it this far are _decent_ fighters, aren't they? They won't drag us down in a big fight as much as if we had all the level 1s from the starting city."

"That's a very pragmatic way of putting it," I say.

"Sorry," she says. "I know that sounds cold. I don't mean to…" She turns away, back to Diavel.

"Listen!" Diavel says. "We can take 10 more people in this raid, so any volunteers, please speak up now."

I sigh, knowing exactly what that means: this wouldn't be a small, short skirmish against level 1s through 3s in the outside world. Once engaged, the door shuts behind you in a boss battle, and it's kill or be killed.

Asuna raises her hand.

"Hey, alright!" Diavel says. "What's your name?"

"Rapier," Asuna says. "I've been leveling a little as cautiously as I can, so I have some experience." She points at me. "Also, this guy is coming with me. He helped me on the road here. He's a good fighter."

"Hey, wait—" but all I can do is sigh. "Yeah, sure," I raise my hand. "I'll go, so long as I can team up with 'Rapier'." I glance at Asuna out of the corner of my eye. Grr. I mean, I was going to go, anyway, but jeez.

"Sure thing!" says Diavel. "You and Rapier there can be on the kobold minion management team."

Asuna and I both give thumbs up.

Before I can do anything, Asuna has her pop-up HUD open and is sending me a party invite.

I accept, and the die is cast…


End file.
